“ Heartbreak caused by the child who is a fool ” Dr. Morecraft explains that nothing breaks a Christian parent's heart like having a fool for a child. He quotes from Volume 2 of Dr. Ralph Wardlaw's "Lectures on the Book of Proverbs" as follows: "For a man who has the affections of nature, and who believes God's Word, to see a son, 'bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh,'--the object of his yearning love,--the subject of his early care, of his tears, his prayers, his watchings, his anxieties, his fears, his hopes,--walking in the way of sinners, refusing instruction and admonition, taking his side with God's enemies, living in ungodliness and vice, going on, in all appearance, to perdition, unawed by correction, whether from the parental or from the divine hand, and untouched and unsubdued by entreaty:--O! if there be a drop in the cup of life of pure undiluted bitterness--this is that drop." Dr. Morecraft then lists reasons for failure in raising children, so that instead of raising a wise child, we raise a fool.
“ God is our vindicator ” Dr. Morecraft teaches that if someone does evil to us, we are to wait for God to vindicate us, because that is God's exclusive responsibility, not ours. People have the sinful desire to be vindicated. They want the world to know they did right and were sinned against. That desire for vindication has caused Christians to make many mistakes in their lives. God is our vindicator. If we are ever treated in a thankless and evil way, we must leave it to God, as these passages teach: Deuteronomy 32:35-36. 1 Thessalonians 5:15. Romans 12:17-21. As powerful, dominant and invincible as evil may appear to be, being good and doing good to other people has a power to overwhelm evil and win the victory over it. So don't try to get vengeance in this world when somebody hurts your feelings. Instead, we're to concern ourselves with obeying God and considering the interests of other people, and not worry about vindicating ourselves. Do not return evil for evil.
“ Great Sermon! ” I took Pastor Joe’s recommendation and got C.R. Vaughan’s book called The Gifts of the Holy Spirit and yes it’s very rich, very convicting. It truly is drawn from a deep artisan well of living water.
“ Biblical rebuke ” Dr. Morecraft explains what it means to give a rebuke. A rebuke is nouthetic counseling, where everything from the analysis of the problem to the offering of a solution is exclusively drawn from the Scriptures. There are three basic elements of Biblical counseling involved in rebuke. First is compassion. That is, the reason for the rebuke is love for the person who needs it. Second is confrontation. The person needs help to face the reality of his own sin, and to see that the way of the transgressor is hard. Third is correction, where the person is shown from the Word of God how to get out of his mess and what to do about the sin he has committed.
“ Great Sermon! ” Those who claim to hold to traditional values and to be pro-family need to hear this sermon. There is nothing novel in his assertion that there is a women's role and a men's role and that the line between the two should not be crossed. But not only is it an ancient Christian tradition: it is the teaching of the word of God. The power of women lies in being women; and the power of men is in being men. Women step down when they abandon their unique position as queens of the home; where the support of their husbands and the shaping of the character of their children is to take place. To encourage women to usurp authority over men in the home, the church, and the state in the name of equality threatens the very existence of all three fundamental and vital institutions. Men are being feminized, and women are being masculinized as this evil continues to rot away the social fabric of our country and our world. Pastor Morecraft is, once again, right on target! But sadly, very few will even listen.
“ The role of the mother ” Dr. Morecraft explains that some Christians have erroneously disparaged the role of the mother in relation to the father. In such a view, the woman simply cooks, keeps the house clean, has babies, and does the hard part of homeschooling. But in the biblical view, when it comes to the authority of teaching the children and praying to uphold the family, the husband and wife have a shared authority. The Book of Proverbs has an emphasis on the equal role of the mother in the teaching and raising of children and in what takes place in the home: Proverbs 1:8, Proverbs 4:3; Proverbs 6:20; Proverbs 15:20; Proverbs 30:17. The mother is much more than the one who cooks and has the babies. She shares in the family's decisions and the raising and educating of the children. The Bible affirms a high view of mothers and fathers, not just fathers.
“ Telling the truth ” Among the many points made in this sermon, Dr. Morecraft explains the truth of a controversial position. He warns that immature people will misuse this biblical information. There are some times in which it is proper not to tell the truth and actually tell something that's not true. In Exodus chapter 1, the midwives disobeyed Pharaoh by not killing the Hebrew male babies, and then lied to him about why they didn't kill those babies. God blessed the midwives for that (Exodus 1:20-21). In Joshua 2, Rahab lied to the king of Jericho's men to protect the two Israelite spies. She is listed as one of the great women of faith in Hebrews 11. These are two occasions where God blessed people for not telling the truth. When is it okay not to tell the truth? When a civil government becomes the deadly enemy of your family and your church, you may lie to them to escape their anger and their persecution. Christians should be known for telling the truth. But when it comes to the point where they are at war with the civil magistrate, and the civil magistrate is going to do deadly harm to their family and church, their primary duty is to be faithful to their family and church.
“ Powerful and Convicting Sermon! ” I have listened to several hundreds of Joe Morecraft’s messages and this not only one of his best, it’s one of the best messages I have ever heard. VERY convicting, this message must be heard!
“ Self-control is the highest kind of human power ” Dr. Morecraft explains that spiritual virtues are superior to physical strength and physical accomplishment. Physical strength and physical accomplishment are often more visible and more observable, but regardless of what can be seen, spiritual virtues, spiritual qualities, and godly character are all vastly superior to anything physical strength can produce. A person who does not retaliate when he is under verbal attack is superior to a military or political hero. The patient person rules his own spirit. He doesn't return anger for anger or evil for evil because he has control of himself. Self-control is the highest kind of human power, but it's always a struggle for the Christian.
“ Destructive language ” Dr. Morecraft discusses people who use destructive language against others, such as slander. Slander is one of Satan's most powerful tools against God's people. Because people are sinful, we are all prone to believe slander. But it's hard to answer slander. When you try to defend yourself against slander too zealously, people will say that you must be guilty because you're spending so much time defending yourself. Dr. Morecraft says that when people slander you, don't lose your cool and don't respond in kind. Instead, let your godly, consistent life refute them.
“ The heart teaches the mouth ” Dr. Morecraft points out that what we say expresses whatever fills our hearts. If we say something terrible, that is because there is a darkness in our hearts that expresses itself through our mouths. The things that we say are rooted in our hearts.
“ The measure of a person's life ” One of the main points made by Dr. Morecraft in this sermon is that the measure of a person's life, second to fearing the Lord, is the effect he has on other people. A Christian should get insight by paying attention to the Word of God and trusting in the Lord, and then share that insight in his life, his words and his conversations.
“ Pride is destructive ” Dr. Morecraft explains that pride is simply the opposite of the teaching of Proverbs 3:5-7. That is, a proud person trusts in himself with all his heart. The proud person leans on his own understanding. He believes he can direct his own paths without God, and he is wise in his own eyes. But God is an enemy of all who are proud. He is opposed to people who are full of self-love and have high self-esteem, and who think there's no one as good as they are. In contrast to the proud person, a person who is humble of spirit or lowly is someone who has had the pride kicked out of him by God. God does that by bringing things into people's lives that humble them, and also working in them by the Holy Spirit.
“ The mark of the beast ” In this sermon, Dr. Morecraft explains that the civil magistrate is a minister of God who must obey and enforce God's law. He also helpfully explains the "mark of the beast" on the right hand and forehead mentioned in Revelation 13:16. A key to understanding it is Deuteronomy 6:8 where God describes a characteristic of His faithful people. Referring to His words He says: "You shall also tie them as a sign to your hand, and they shall be as frontlets on your forehead." This means that the law of God is to govern all of the thinking of His people, and all that they do. But the evil civil magistrate of Revelation 13 wants Christians to erase the mark of God that's on their hands and foreheads, and instead submit to a new mark that he has imposed. This means believing his worldview and living according to his law, instead of believing God's Word and following God's law.
“ Righteousness is a treasure ” As Dr. Morecraft explains, living a righteous life brings God's favor whether anything else tangible is brought into your life that you can discern or not. Righteousness (obedience to God from the heart that's full of faith in Christ) is a treasure and is valuable in and of itself. Living a righteous life is far more valuable and precious than having the material things of this world. God's morality guarantees that the wicked will be punished and the righteous will be blessed, and there are no exceptions
“ God's judgement on the wicked ” Dr. Morecraft explains that it's important for us to understand the purpose of God's judgement on the wicked. There are three reasons why God brings such devastating punishment upon wicked people. First, to magnify the glory of His justice. God wants us to praise Him for His justice and holiness and wrath. He displays to people how great His justice and His righteousness are. Second, he punishes the wicked because that is what they deserve. They deserve to be punished throughout all eternity. Sinning against the Triune God is so infinitely heinous that the only way it can be justly punished is by infinite, eternal punishment. Thirdly, God judges the wicked to deliver the righteous from them. When God brings His severe judgment upon His enemies, it is for the benefit of His people and for their protection.
“ Depend upon God ” Our plans will not prosper apart from God's intervention. We must embrace our dependence upon God, and seek His presence and blessing on all occasions. God smiles on the plans and efforts of those who depend on and seek His blessing. Those who don't depend upon Almighty God succumb to anxiety, whereas those who commit their way to the Lord are preserved from anxiety. You can trust completely a sovereign God who has everything in control. The point is to say, "Lord, I can't make it on my own. In trusting You, and embracing my dependence upon You, and knowing that You're there in my life, my burden is lighter. The demands are still as many, and the responsibilities are still heavy, but I can endure them because I know You are there."
9/26/2021 5:59 PM
